1. Field
The present invention relates to window bucks, surrounds, or pouring frames for forming a window opening in poured concrete walls.
2. State of the Art
In pouring window walls such as basement walls, window openings are commonly formed in the concrete walls as the walls are poured. It was common in the past to construct wooden window openings as a part of the wood forms for the concrete walls. After the poured concrete had set, the wood forms including the wooden window portions were removed, and usually the wooden window portions of the forms, at least, had to be discarded. The cost of the wood forms and the labor required in building the forms with integral wooden window forms were distinct disadvantages of this type of construction.
To avoid the disadvantages of constructing wooden window opening forms within the wall forms, two general methods have been proposed. The first of these methods is to provide reusable, metal, buck forms which are positioned between the spaced walls of the concrete wall forms. The buck forms are commonly made in two parts and are bevel shaped such that when the concrete, which has been poured around the buck form has set, the buck forms can be removed from the opening formed in the resulting concrete wall.
A window frame can be detachably secured to the buck frame such that the window frame is cast in and remains in the opening when the concrete sets and the removable buck is removed. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,092,887 and 2,787,820. A more generally used method involves the use of a removable buck form which can be shaped or made of two parts such that a mounting ledge or step is formed in the concrete to which a window frame can be mounted after the concrete has set and the removable buck has been removed. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,138,084 and 3,439,894. To provide adjustment to accommodate varying thicknesses of concrete walls, the forms have been made with contiguous sliding members or the two parts of the buck form have been adapted to be mated and insertable one within the other to accommodated various thicknesses of the desired concrete wall. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,881,971 and 4,138,084.
The second general method which has been proposed to avoid the in-situ construction of wooden window opening forms within the wall forms, employs a metal buck frame which is positioned between the spaced walls of the concrete wall forms. Concrete is poured around the buck form, and when the concrete has set, the wall forms are removed, leaving the buck form in place to form the periphery of the window opening. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 2,893,235. These buck forms have been found to be subject to being deformed during the pouring of concrete thereabouts as the wall is being formed unless reinforcement or support is provided for the buck frame. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,843 which discusses the problem and discloses a particular, reusable brace to be used to at least reduce the severity of the problem.
3. Objectives
It is a principal objective of the present invention to provide a novel, improved window buck or pouring frame for forming a window opening in a cast concrete wall or the like, wherein the window buck or pouring frame comprises mating inner and outer rectangular frame members which are adapted to be releasably secured together as a substantially interlocked unit, and further wherein the window buck or pouring frame is adapted to be readily mounted between the spaced walls of concrete wall forms.
A broad, general objective of the present invention is to provide a relatively easily maneuverable window buck or pouring frame which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, is rugged in construction, is simple to use, and can be reused practically indefinitely.
A particular objective of the present invention is to provide novel, unique, rugged clamp means for releasably securing the inner and outer rectangular frame structures of a two-part window buck or pouring frame together as a substantially interlocked unit, with the clamp means being quickly and easily engaged and disengaged, whereby the window buck or pouring frame can be quickly incorporated in the wooden forms for the concrete wall as well as quickly removed or stripped from the window opening after the concrete wall has been poured and the concrete has set.
A further object of the present invention is to provide adjustable clamp means which allows the inner and outer rectangular frame structures of a two-part window buck or pouring frame to be mated and inserted one within the other so as to provide for adjusting the window buck or pouring frame to fit within varying thicknesses of concrete wall forms.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide novel means for connecting the relatively inexpensive clamp means to the inner and outer rectangular frame structures, whereby the clamp means can quickly be removed from the frame structure for cleaning and replacement purposes in case the clamp means become fouled or damaged.